As if American YouTubers in Japan weren't causing enough trouble already, a stunt based around a circulating GoPro has generated a slew of headlines in the Land of the Rising Sun. TkyoSam, a vlogger who shares his life as an American living abroad, has caused a sushi restaurant to ban cameras after he filmed customers by placing his GoPro on a conveyor belt.
At the sushi chain Sushiro, plates travel through the restaurant on conveyor belts, and customers can scoop them up at their leisure. Tk...

More rumors have popped up about the most hotly-anticipated boxing match in YouTube history. If the information included in a tweet sent out by Logan Paul is accurate, the controversial YouTube star will fight boisterous Brit Olajide "KSI" Olatunji on August 25 at the 21,000-seat Manchester Arena in Manchester, UK.
After he defeated fellow YouTuber Joe Weller in a highly-publicized boxing match last month, Olatunji immediately began to trash talk Logan Paul and his brother Jake, inviting them ...

As it approaches its 13th birthday, YouTube is now old enough to be divided into distinct eras, and a new web series is examining what happens when two of those eras mix. Luke Mones and Steve Tooke are the co-creators of Influencer, which stars Mones as a one-time viral video star who looks to get back into the online video biz.
In Influencer, Luke (the character, not the actor) is a has-been who once snagged millions of views and appearances on Ellen and TRL thanks to his 2007 video ...

The legal fallout relating to a YouTube video-related fatality has officially been resolved. Monalisa Perez, who shot her boyfriend Pedro Ruiz as part of an ill-conceived stunt the couple planned to post on their YouTube channel, has accepted an 180-day jail sentence stemming from manslaughter charges against her.
Perez shot and killed Ruiz last June. The couple mistakenly thought that an encyclopedia would stop a bullet from a Desert Eagle handgun, but when Perez fired on her boyfriend at p...

Miranda Sings just announced a massive tour appropriately dubbed ...No Offense, during which the uproariously offensive character creation of YouTube sensation Colleen Ballinger will circle the nation, touting her unique blend of music and comedy.
Ballinger is currently on tour with the Miranda character, and so ...No Offense marks a continuation of these efforts for 36 additional dates, beginning on March 18 in Milwaukee and concluding on August 12 in "Memfis," Sings -- who is frequently p...

Each year, on St. Patrick's Day, revelers across the country -- even those who, like myself, have no hereditary connection to Ireland -- dust off their favorite Celtic tunes in order to celebrate in style. How great is the boon Irish artists receive on their homeland's most notable holiday? According to YouTube, pretty darn big. The video site shared its list of the top St. Patrick's Day songs on its platform, noting that for the top entires on the list, holiday viewership is more than 20 times

YouTube is reportedly testing a picture-in-picture feature for web browsing -- meaning it would port to computers the very same mobile capability where users can browse YouTube while watching a minimized video at the bottom of their screens.
The feature is being piloted on both Chrome and Safari browsers among a small user subset, reports 9 To 5 Google, which notes that the one user on its team who is seeing the feature happens to be a YouTube Red subscriber. It is unclear if the feature would...

Indian digital network Culture Machine has pacted with the NBA to create original programming and also deliver game highlights to young basketball fans across the nation.
Daily short-form videos will live on platforms owned by the NBA, including its proprietary app, as well as Culture Machine's content brands, which are among the most popular in India. They include: Being Indian (1.7 million YouTube subscribers), Put Chutney (582,000 subscribers), Viva (717,000 subscribers) and Blush (29...

Following Kylie Jenner's stock-plummeting admission that she no longer uses Snapchat in the wake of its widely loathed redesign, yet another major celebrity has come out swinging against the app.
This time, Rihanna is denouncing Snapchat for an ad that appeared to make light of domestic violence. The ad, for a mobile game called Would You Rather?, features pictures of Rihanna and her ex-boyfriend -- and assailant -- Chris Brown, asking viewers whether they would rather slap Rihanna or punch ...

While Amazon has been staunchly secretive about its total Prime subscriber count, Reuters has gotten its hands on internal documents that reveal key performance metrics within the company's video division.
Internal documents state that Amazon Video's original and licensed programming attracted a total of 26 million U.S. viewers as of early 2017. (For comparison's sake, competitor Netflix reported 55 million U.S. subscribers last quarter). Furthermore, Amazon believes that Video helped con...

In June 2016, when heavy metal musician David Wu started the RiffShop YouTube channel alongside his friend Harshyt Goel, he was living out of a van and low on income. The early videos he posted received few likes, several of which came from his mom. A potential career in the online video industry was a long way off.
Then, in May 2017, Wu and Goel scored their most successful viral hit up to that point. In RiffShop's breakout video, Wu explains the ins and outs of HTML by writing and performin...

How do you engineer a record-breaking Twitch stream? Inviting a world-famous rapper onto your channel is generally a good way to start. Tyler Blevins, known online as Ninja, delivered the most-viewed non-tournament Twitch stream of all time by playing Fortnite: Battle Royale alongside Aubrey Graham, better known as Drake.
The stream began around 1 AM ET on March 15 and lasted for close to an hour, as Ninja and Drake teamed up to run through a few rounds in the trendy multiplayer game. At ...

Burgeoning YouTube star Elle Mills, who created a 'coming out' video last year that shot to viral renown -- and who has also been namechecked by daily vlogging forebearer Casey Neistat -- is set to come face-to-face with fans on her first-ever tour.
Mills, 19, is based in Canada and will hit seven cities across her home country beginning in April. The show is being produced by Fullscreen, which reps Mills and has also produced tours for countless creators -- including comedy vlogger Machaizell...

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki unveiled a partnership with Wikipedia at South By Southwest yesterday whereby the video giant will harness links from the online encyclopedia and offer them alongside videos about conspiracy theories.
But Wikipedia says it wasn't aware of YouTube's decision to roll out the so-called 'information cues', and clarified that it has not entered a formal partnership with the Google-owned company. The Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that operates Wikipedia, tweeted i...

The Dobre Brothers possess a significant amount of online video savvy, and their digital success has led to a deal with a major talent agency. The fraternal foursome, consisting of Lucas, Marcus, Cyrus, and Darius Dobre, has inked an agreement with the CAA.
The Dobres, who are the sons of a Romanian gymnast, first rose to online video prominence thanks to their trampoline stunts. In addition, they have excelled in the world of vlogging, a skill that helped their shared YouTube channel surpa...

As a celebrity-driven five-a-side soccer tournament kicks off around the world, two media companies are taking some time to highlight women who are making themselves known on the pitch. Red Bull Media House and Indigenous Media have teamed up for Playing For Change, a five-part documentary series that spotlights female figures in the world of soccer.
The launch of Playing For Change is tied into the start of Neymar Jr's Five, a competition led by the titular Brazilian superstar and spon...

Snapchat hasn't always sought to ingratiate itself within the digital creator community, and its widely-reviled redesign was seen by many influencers as a slap in the face -- given that their Stories are now being distributed amid a slew of Discover publishers that their fans didn't necessarily choose to follow.
Today, however, parent company Snap has announced a new hire to oversee the company's relationships with all official Stories accounts -- or those that have been designated for cele...

Since joining YouTube in 2016, music industry big shot Lyor Cohen has focused much of his energy on an upcoming service, tentatively titled Remix. While it's still not clear what exactly Remix is or when exactly it will premiere, Cohen has offered some hints. The exec delivered a keynote address at SXSW in Austin, and among other topics, he discussed Remix, which he said will combine expansive social features with finely-tuned playlists.
Cohen believes YouTube is at an advantage over poten...

Among American consumers, YouTube has been criticized for the fake news and misinformation that have spread on its platform. After recent tragedies, including the shootings in Las Vegas and Parkland, Florida, conspiracy theorists have manipulated the YouTube algorithm in order to reach the top of the video site's search results. While YouTube has enacted changes it hopes will eradicate this issue, it remains to be seen whether those updates will be effective.
Meanwhile, halfway across the glob...

The man known as the "man" in Man Vs. Wild is getting ready to launch his latest show. A trailer has arrived for Bear Grylls: Face The Wild one week before the show's premiere date.
In Man Vs. Wild, Grylls showed viewers how they can survive on their own in extreme environments, but his new program will show that you don't need to be willing to drink your own piss to have a good time outdoors. In each episode, Grylls will invite an ordinary person to go on an adventure with him, and will pr...

The so-called "series that watches you" is now available. #WarGames, an interactive project adapted from the 1983 movie of the same name, is now available on the web, on the iOS app of producer Eko, and on Steam, where an ad-free version of the series can be purchased for $2.99.
#WarGames, in a departure from its source material, enters the modern world of "hacktivism," putting viewers in the shoes of a hacker named Kelly. As the show progresses, we get to see the story as Kelly does, and ou...

YouTube snake handler Brandon Boyles, known to his 21,000 subscribers as VenomMan20, has been charged by police with 23 counts of illegal possession of venomous snakes, as well as animal cruelty and reckless endangerment.
Upon a search of his apartment last month, the 28-year-old Maryland resident was found to be in possession of six Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes, one seven-foot-long Forest Cobra, one Cape Coral Cobra and two Boomslangs, according to the Maryland Department Of Natural Resou...

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki announced yesterday that the company is taking precautions to limit the amount of disturbing content that its human moderators must police every day. The new policy arrives as YouTube said it intends to have 10,000 human moderators working to purge inappropriate videos in 2018.
YouTube will limit moderators to four hours of disturbing videos daily as a means of preserving their mental health, Wojcicki said at South By Southwest. "This is a real issue and I myself ha...

The next docu-series coming to YouTube Red is set to Burn The Stage. That's the title of an eight-part program that will chronicle the incredible global stardom achieved by BTS, a popular K-pop group.
BTS, also known as Bangtan Boys, was founded in 2013 out of one of the many Korean studios that assembles young performers into K-pop groups. Since then, the septet has experienced a rapid rise to fame, which has been particularly evident on social media. Every time BTS tweets, hundreds of thou...

Project Name: Wicked Workout
Asking For: $2,000 through Indiegogo
Amount Raised Thus Far (At Time Of Post): $1,910
Days Remaining In Campaign (At Time Of Post): 10 hours...hurry!
Description: If you're sitting around the house and looking to get into better shape, you don't need an exercise routine. You need a Wicked Workout. Christopher Anderson, with his latest Indiegogo campaign, is looking to deliver exactly that. Anderson is the creative force behind a pilot project that will fol...

Bo Burnham, an early YouTube star who has since sought to work his magic behind the camera, has unveiled the trailer for his feature directorial debut.
Eighth Grade, from indie studio A24 (Moonlight, Ladybird) and starring Elsie Fisher, is about a teen struggling to survive her the week of middle school. The trailer shows Fisher's character, Kayla, trying her hand at creating YouTube videos -- perhaps a nod to Burnham's humble beginnings -- as well as fooling around on Snapchat (which she ...

YouTube is taking decisive action to combat an avalanche of conspiracy theory videos that have spread across the site in the wake of the Parkland shooting, after many far right creators mischaracterized survivors as "crisis actors" seeking to push stricter gun laws.
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki announced at South By Southwest last night that the platform will add Wikipedia links -- as well as information from other "fact-based websites" -- to conspiracy videos so that viewers will be able to ...

For more than a decade, Vimeo has served as an arbiter of taste in the online video community by designating a selection of videos as "Staff Picks" that are worthy of extraordinary merit. Some Staff Picks have entrenched themselves in the cultural zeitgeist, and at SXSW, Vimeo spotlight a handful of its greatest hits. The video site teamed up with creative agency Preacher to install a temporary exhibition that celebrated the greatest hits from among its staff picks.
The highlighted Staff Picks

Netflix is working on a new original series with Brazilian YouTube creator KondZilla and Brazilian production house, Losbragas. The series, called Sintonia, will follow three friends growing up in a "favela" (essentially, a poverty-stricken town) just outside of Sao Paulo.
KondZilla, whose real name is Konrad Dantas, created the series, which he will also direct. His background lies in creating and producing electronic music videos, of which there are easily hundreds on his YouTube channel....

If you haven't picked up a YouTube TV subscription, your future patronage just got a little more expensive. YouTube has officially raised the price of its skinny bundle to $40 per month, up from $35 per month, though existing customers will remain grandfathered in at the service's previous price.
When YouTube announced the price hike last month, it said that the change would go into effect on March 13. Sure enough, YouTube TV now costs $40 per month, though it also boasts a newly-expanded chann

The Church of Scientology has a new recruitment tactic. Instead of asking strangers on the street if they'd be interested in taking a "free personality test," the "religious group" has launched a digital TV network.
Scientology TV launched yesterday evening at 5 PM PST on streaming platforms Apple TV, Roku, Google Chromecast, DirecTV, and a dedicated app. And it's not explicitly a recruitment tactic. In his introductory speech on the network, Scientology head David Miscavige made su...

Seems like we've only been hearing bad news from Snapchat lately. From Kylie Jenner's dis to preparation for a massive round of job cuts, it's been a tough start to 2018, but a new move from the company might help turn its fortune around.
This new move will see the app featuring creators' work—specifically, augmented reality lenses created in Snapchat's Lens Studio. Snapchat has long been getting flak for failing to promote its more popular creators, so featuring users' work along...

Roman Atwood, who has established himself as one of YouTube's top creators, plans to scale back the frequency of his vlogs. The prankster-turned-family man, whose primary channel has attracted 14.3 million subscribers and netted more than 4.5 billion views, announced that he will end his daily vlogging streak in order to try out different types of content.
Atwood announced his decision in a video he hosted alongside his girlfriend Brittney Smith. After posting daily vlogs for 86 days in a row,...

Mitú's latest C-level executive has arrived at his current position as the result of an internal promotion. Jesus Chavez, previously the SVP of Operations at the Latino-oriented digital media network, has now been named as the company's first-ever Chief Operating Officer.
In his new role, Chavez will oversee audience development efforts across platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat, while also overseeing brand deals. He will report to Herb Scannell, who came on as Mitú's ...

Two weeks ago, in a cryptic video, YouTube star Jake Paul announced his plan to put his daily vlog on hiatus, citing his desire to "go and help some people who are in a lot of need." Now, we know exactly the people Paul was referring to: the survivors of the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. During his hiatus, Paul took a trip to Parkland, Florida to speak with survivors of that tragedy, hold a Skype session with Florida Senator Marco Rubio, and lay out some ideas for h...

Almost a year after it rolled out on Google Chrome, dark mode is coming to YouTube's mobile app.
In a brief post on a YouTube support page, the company detailed how to use dark mode on mobile and where exactly it's available. So far, only iOS users will be able to turn on dark mode (though it's reportedly headed to Android "soon"), which they can do using a toggle in the app's Settings.
Dark mode has a couple major uses. It's gentler on the eyes, which could encourage users to sp...

Though Apple has announced a slew of original series in recent months under the tutelage of new video chiefs Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht, the company has remained relatively mum on its overall vision for the space -- until now.
During an interview session at SXSW, Eddy Cue, the company's SVP of internet software and services, said that the search for executives to lead its video efforts lasted roughly two years, and resulted in the hiring last summer of the two Sony vets. Today, Apple h...

Vice Media co-founder and CEO Shane Smith, the unconventional executive who spun an underground Canadian magazine into a full-fledged digital media dynasty, is reportedly in talks to step down.
Variety reports that A&E Networks CEO Nancy Dubuc -- who today announced her departure from that company -- is in "advanced talks" to replace Smith as CEO of Vice. Until Dubuc's successor has been named, retired A&E exec Abbe Raven will serve as interim CEO. Smith, who developed a close...

Insights is a weekly series featuring entertainment industry veteran David Bloom. It represents an experiment of sorts in digital-age journalism and audience engagement with a focus...
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Teen-focused digital studio Brat has tapped a trio of young stars for its latest series, Total Eclipse, including Dance Moms personality Mackenzie Ziegler, vlogger Lauren Orlando (1.1 million subscribers), and actress-model Emily Skinner.
The 11-episode series will juxtapose a high school setting with a "fantasy moon world" that lies in the imagination of Ziegler's character, according to Variety. A release date has not yet been announced. Ziegler (pictured above, center) plays a dreamy ...

Those who keep an eye closely trained to YouTube's 'Trending' feed may have noted in recent months the astronomical ascension of a cartoon spider -- equal parts frightening and adorable -- named Lucas.
Lucas The Spider is the brainchild of animator Joshua Slice, who has worked on features like Ferdinand, Zootopia, and Big Hero 6. Slice launched the YouTube series four short months ago, and has shared just six videos to date -- each of which has amassed millions upon millions of views. Sli...

Digital lifestyle publisher PopSugar is set to make a sweeping retail foray with its first-ever line of beauty products -- a category that is covered extensively on the company's web properties.
Beauty By PopSugar bowed online yesterday as well as within 250 Ulta stores -- representing roughly a quarter of the chain's total locations, according to Digiday. The line comprises 80 products -- from lip glosses to highlighters to eyeshadow palettes -- ranging in price from $18 to $42. Packaging i...

A new feature being piloted by Netflix rewards child viewers with "patches" for consuming content. And while the gamifiying feature allows children to collect virtual rewards for binge-viewing, notes Variety, patches do not confer any feasible value beyond themselves. Series that offer patches are designated with red lock icons (see below), including Fuller House, A Series Of Unfortunate Events, and Trollhunters.
"We are testing a new feature on select kids titles that introduces collecti...

The Super Narcoleptic Girl is going to save the day...so long as she can keep her eyes open. Sarah Albritton and Catherine Povinelli are the creators and stars of a web series about chronic sleepiness, friendship, pop culture, and the power of dance.
Albritton, who has narcolepsy herself, portrays Super Narcoleptic Girl's heroine Keelyn, who possesses the power to compel people to dance. Throughout the series, Keelyn battles for recognition, while Albritton and Povinelli make sure to pro...

In January, YouTube had to deal with a major firestorm surrounding one of its most popular stars. Now, months later, the video site's Chief Business Officer is assessing his company's response. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kyncl said YouTube could have had a stronger "social response" in the days after creator Logan Paul posted a controversial vlog. "We should have done better," Kyncl said.
Right at the start of the year, Paul drew fierce criticism for his flippant treatment of...

U.K. fitness creator Carly Rowena is gearing up for a massive 2018, including a second book release, added stops on her international retreat series, and a new range of fitness merch, the 30-year-old tells Tubefilter.
Rowena, whose recipe, workout, and lifestyle vlogs have earned her 400,000 subscribers and 27 million lifetime views, self-published her first book, the Get Gorgeous Guide, in 2016. It sold 3,000 copies during its launch week, and a follow-up with more tips will arrive this summe...

Following mold-breaking deals with Shonda Rhimes and Ryan Murphy, Netflix may be on the precipice of landing its biggest talent acquisition to date: former President Barack Obama.
Obama is in "advanced negotiations" with the streaming giant for a slate of shows that would highlight inspirational stories and provide him with a global platform, reports The New York Times. The deal would also call for contributions from former First Lady Michelle Obama -- though the types of shows and number o...

For the second year in a row, Facebook is taking its users out to the ballgame. The social media giant has inked a deal with the MLB, through which it will gain the exclusive streaming rights to 25 baseball games from the upcoming season, all of which will take place on weekday afternoons.
Facebook also streamed MLB games last year, but according to Bloomberg, this year's deal is different because it confers exclusive rights to the platform, while last year's agreement was non-exclusive. T...

Last year, at SXSW, YouTube solicited short-form book adaptations several top creative agencies in order to pitch its then-nascent six-second ads -- known as "bumper ads" -- to brands. One year later, a significant number of advertisers have adopted bumpers, so YouTube is using its latest appearance at SXSW to promote a healthy and balanced pre-roll diet. The video site has once again enlisted agencies to create six-second spots, but this time, it is also asking those partners to create 15-sec...